The Legend of Zelda: In Fading Light
by Twilit Guardian
Summary: Sequel to Darkness Rising. The Master Sword is lost. Ganondorf is trapped in the Twilight, looking for a way out. Link and his friends are also stuck, trying to stop him. The final battle fast approaches and the odds are in Ganondorf's favor. MxL, ZxOC
1. Dark Days

**Disclaimer: I don't own Legend of Zelda, a PS3, a plasma screen, or a rhino. I'm currently working on the latter. **

**_The Legend of Zelda: In Fading Light_**

**_Chapter 1: Dark Days_**

The Twilight Princess stood upon the battlements of the Castle Lathel looking out on the mountains of the Eastern Lands. Her cowl was drawn over her face, as if she were hiding from the realm that had once been hers. Perhaps she was—she'd failed it twice now; who wouldn't hide from the shame, the angry eyes of the people that she imagined in the distance?

Midna sighed tiredly and put a hand to her head. How could she have let it come to this? Was she really so weak? She felt a tear slither down her cheek and she grew angry.

"Damn it, Midna!" she cursed herself quietly, furiously. "Pull yourself together, you addle-brained fool. You've got more important things to do! You can't just sit around all day feeling sorry for yourself. What happened wasn't your fault. You couldn't have stopped him… No one could, not even Link…"

A vicious voice in the back of her mind disagreed. _"You could have and you know it,"_ it taunted. _"You didn't fight hard enough. You let your own stubborn pride cloud your judgement by not telling anyone about the Grimoire and then you gave into the temptations of its power. Now you reap the rewards of your idiocy, foolish little Twilight Princess."_

Midna winced, her anger receding. She'd been hearing that voice all too often in the past two weeks. She had wondered if Ganondorf still held some vestige of control over her mind, but she doubted it. She was sure she would be able to tell if he ever wormed his way into her subconscious again—besides, Zelda had given her the all-clear.

No, the voice was her own. It acted as part guilty conscience, part self-loathing and it certainly did nothing to make her feel better about the whole situation. It only served to sink her into fits of depression and despair with the constant reminders that this mess was her doing. More and more she tended to agree with it.

Faint, padding footsteps punctuated by sharp clicks approached. Midna recognized the sound and turned to see a large, lupine figure walking towards her.

A quiet, concerned voice sounded in her mind. _"Midna, are you all right?"_

Her eyes softened as she felt a stab of guilt. Link stalked over to her side and nuzzled her hand with his nose. Looking at Link, Midna couldn't help but turn her eyes skyward.

The Twilight, usually illuminated with the beautiful light of dusk, was nearly pitch black, like the night of a new moon. Their eyes had adjusted to this well enough—Link's more so, given his wolf form—but they still missed the comfort afforded by that light. Midna's mind drifted off, remembering the beginning of this darkness.

* * *

><p><em>Link and Taque started at the sudden change in surroundings as Midna teleported them away from the danger at the Palace of Twilight and into an open field, several miles to the east—she would have warped further had she been able to muster the strength. She fell to her knees on the soft, violet grass, thoroughly exhausted. <em>

_They had lost the fight against Ganondorf, as well as their best weapon against him, the Master Sword. Link had thrown it through the portal in a successful, if costly, last ditch effort to prevent the Dark Lord from getting to Hyrule. _

_Yes, Link had succeeded in trapping Ganondorf, but, in doing so, the Hero had also trapped himself and his friends in the Twilight with him, a deadly foe who was no doubt hell-bent on revenge._

_Midna closed her eyes, waited for the world to stop spinning. A cool hand touched the back of her neck. Link brushed some hair out of her face. "You all right?"_

_"Fine," she told him, flashing a weary, but very Midna-like smirk at him. "Give me a hand?" She didn't trust herself to stand on her own._

_Link took her gently by the arm and hoisted her up. She nodded after a moment and he let her go. Almost immediately, she swayed and started to fall. Swift as lightning, the Hero grabbed her right shoulder. Taque, still a little disoriented himself, managed to grab her left, helping to keep her up. Together he and Link held her steady until she could stand without help._

_They quickly checked to see that there were no pressing injuries among them—one of Link's ribs had been re-broken in the battle and Midna did her best to heal him as quickly as she could manage. Other than that, they had mostly cuts and bruises, but none were overly serious. They set off. Taque explained to them how Zelda and the others would be heading to his family's lands, and so that was where the trio set their bearings. They moved in silence for the most part, each working to process what had just happened. _

_Taque, along with trying to get the facts of his brother's murder straight in his mind—he had hated Midna so thoroughly, so completely for it, that it was hard to imagine that the deed could have been done by another's hand (this was an explanation he was still waiting to hear in its entirety, but he didn't mind the wait so much at the moment)—was trying to cope with his first face off with the Lord of Darkness, one of the few truly evil beings in the world. He had a sickening feeling that their first meeting would not be their last._

_Link was made to bear his multiple failures in the last few days—had it really been so short a time?—to protect the things he loved. First Midna, then Zelda, then the Twilight—he had indeed grown to admire this odd, mysterious realm. What was next? What if the next time someone died because of him? What if he lost Midna? Or Zelda? What if Taque or Ralon—or worse, some innocent—died for his mistakes? What then?_

_The Twilight Princess had somewhat simpler feelings than her companions; worry, doubt and despair had yet to reclaim their holds in her mind. She was just trying to wrap her mind around the fact that she was free at last._

_The trio had been walking for a little over two hours—exhausted though Link and Midna were, their fear of pursuit was stronger than the complaints of their aching feet—when it happened. A great, resounding crack, like thunder, broke the sky. Taque jumped nearly out of his boots, while Link and Midna—a bit more battle-minded than the young Twili—whirled to see what had caused it._

_The __Palace__ of __Twilight__ loomed behind, a distant mirage on the horizon. The world was still. Slowly, ever so slowly, an aura of crimson became apparent around the castle. Then, abruptly, a beam of that same scarlet shot up from the central spire of the __Palace__ of __Twilight__ and into the clouds—here both Twili clutched their heads, the magical emanations so powerful as to overwhelm their sixth sense and send daggers of pain into their skulls. The beam fed upon the aura, and, once it had drained it dry, the beam faded. The magic, however, did not._

_It stayed high above the clouds, transforming from red to deepest black as it expanded across the sky at an ever quickening rate—a process almost disturbingly akin to an ink drop spreading on a piece of parchment. The magic's echoes died away and Taque and Midna grew used to its presence. They released their heads. The stain upon the sky continued to approach as it extended in all directions._

_The young lord asked, "What is it?"_

_Link turned his eyes to Midna, at a loss, hoping, like Taque, that she knew. She shook her head. She began, "I don't…" Understanding reared its ugly head. Midna grabbed the Hero's arm. "Link, we need to go! Come on!"_

_But it was too late. The spell had reached them, spreading a pall of shadows on the land all around them as it continued to seep through the Realm of Twilight. The Twili were unaffected, but Link gave a cry of pain—Ganondorf would take what vengeance he could. He pitched forward as his body was rearranged and transmuted, bones, muscles and all. When all was done, no trace of the young Hylian remained._

_The thing that struggled back to its feet was a wolf._

* * *

><p>Link whined, jolting Midna from her memories. She'd been so lost in them that she had not answered his question yet. Realizing this, she looked down at him with what she hoped was a reassuring smile. "How many times do I hafta tell you not to worry about me, wolf breath?" Her attempt at a grin and her jest failed; the smile didn't reach her eyes. It rarely did these days.<p>

"_More than you have, apparently. You aren't fooling Zelda either, you know,"_ he added. _"Or Noct or Taque—not even Ralon."_

"Not Ralon? Wow, my acting skills _are_ getting rusty," she quipped, equal parts sad and amused. "How about Nero, then?"

Link huffed at her. _"Midna…"_ Any aggravation he showed, he didn't wholly feel. Jokes were good. Jokes were Midna. Jokes meant that she was feeling—at least somewhere deep down—somewhat happy, somewhat more like herself. More than she had in a while, anyway.

"That's a 'Yes' for Nero?"

Link let out a sound somewhere between bark and growl—his wolfish equivalent to a chuckle. Midna grinned again and it just touched her eyes before her mind turned to her Captain of the Guard and each of her and Link's other companions. That was a reunion that hadn't gone as she might have hoped, but was all that she could have expected.

* * *

><p><em>After six more days of travel, doing their best to avoid people and towns while moving as fast as they could manage, stopping only for food and rest—and then only briefly—Link, Midna, and Taque reached Castle Lathel.<em>

_The home of Taque's family was smaller than the Palace of Twilight and, unlike the other building, stood on solid ground as with most of Midna's realm—the Abyss was to the Twilight what oceans were to the Light Realm, the Palace being on a small group of relatively central islands while most everything else resided on continents. Castle Lathel was also on the lavish side by comparison, with fearsome, grinning gargoyles without and embroidered tapestries and finely made metal-works—ornate suits of armor, decorative blades and such, all useless for battle—within._

_Taque took a deep breath. "It's good to be home," he said, hoping that coming back here might herald a return of normalcy to his life._

_As they drew nearer the front gates, it became obvious that this was not to be. A company of his family's guards emerged from inside, weapons at the ready, riding what the Twili called _'tsirin'_—their version of horses. Link growled deep in his throat and moved to stand in front of Midna. She turned to the young lord uncertainly._

_"Taque…?"_

_He shook his head. The trio eyed the guards nervously as the ranks split and they formed a circle around them. Spears gleamed in the minute light, never wavering. Taque cleared his throat anxiously and stepped forward, stopping as a spearhead pressed against his chest in warning. He did his best to keep hide his trembling. He was not altogether successful._

_"I-I command you to st-stand down."_

_A guard—Taque recognized her as Kiris, a sergeant and longtime friend of his—rode forward. She told him, "I'm sorry, my lord, but we cannot obey. We've been ordered to take you and your friends into custody."_

_"B-but, I am the l-lord of these lands and th-this house, who c-could supersede me?"_

_Kiris's mouth twisted apologetically. "I'm sorry, my lord, but you must be tested first." It pained her to worry Taque, knowing his nervous character as she did._

_Midna, hidden by her cloak, was about to reveal her identity but Link advised, _"Wait. Let's find out what their game is and who they're working for, if not Taque, first. It could be dangerous."

_She hesitated then gave a short nod of agreement_

_The guards led them into the castle, seemingly untroubled by the presence of a wolf, perhaps recognizing him as the Sacred Beast. They walked briskly through the opulent halls—Midna turned slightly to Taque, careful to make sure the guards couldn't see her, and raised an eyebrow at the extravagance; he blushed and gave a small shrug—to arrive before a set of doors that looked surprisingly un-dungeon-like compared to their expectations. Pausing only long enough to knock and receive the okay to proceed, Kiris brought them into a meeting room where a startling sight greeted the trio._

_The room was bare of furnishing, save for a long table with chairs to match—this was one of the few places that showed that the Lathels had a serious streak in them. Seated side by side at the table were Noct and Nero, brothers and former Palace workers—Noct, Midna's personal assistant; Nero, the Captain of the Palace Guard. Across from them was a flickering ball of pale, blue light that gave off white flame. With sharpened senses, Link knew this to be Ralon, an unassuming Hylian in his forties, but good with a blade despite his years—or, perhaps, because of them—as evidenced in that he led the Phoenix Elites at Castle Hyrule. At the head of the table sat a young woman with dirty blonde hair and emerald eyes; Princess Zelda's Triforce pulsed briefly, acknowledging Link's._

_Link started forward, glad of a happy surprise for a change. He reached out with his mind, as Midna had once taught him. _"Zelda—"

_"Halt, Hero," she commanded, voice cold and aloof. He stopped dead in his tracks. "Before anything, you and your companions must be tested."_

_"T-Tested for what?" Taque asked._

_"For the presence of the Grimoire's dark taint, to ensure it's master"—Zelda spoke the word distastefully, a flicker of pain in her eyes—"does not control your mind as she did Nero's." She gestured to Noct's elder brother, who winced at the memory, unclear though it was. "If I find it within you, I will do my best to remove it without damage to your mind. If this is impossible, then I am afraid we will be forced to confine you to the dungeons." Her face softened ever so slightly. "I am sorry."_

_The trio agreed—Zelda would not force her way into their minds, but they still had little choice—but Midna's nod was reluctant. She held back on revealing who she was. _"Oh, this is gonna be fun…"_ she said to Link through their mental connection. He grunted in reply._

_The princess stood, walked slowly over toward them. Midna drew back, unconsciously and almost imperceptibly. Zelda placed a hand on Link's forehead._

_Zelda examined Link and Taque's minds cautiously, wary that the Grimoire's master—she refused to think of her as Midna any longer, not after all she had done—might use any power existing therein to try and control her. The test went quickly for both as she did not need to go deep into their minds; she knew what to look for after helping Nero. As such, she had no need to delve into their memories, as any remembrance of the control and the controller would be blurry and unfocused, as with the young Twili. Zelda's magic barely brushed the Twilight Princess before she withdrew in alarm._

_"You…" she croaked out, taking a swift backstep. The guards behind Link and Taque turned their weapons at Midna, uncertain at the princess's reaction. Noct and Nero stiffened, hands going to their swords, while Ralon's spirit stilled, tensing._

_Midna pulled down her hood, causing the nearly everyone else in the room to start as Zelda had. "Yeah, me," she said, falsely light. "So… how've you been, Zel?"_

_The Princess of Hyrule, indeed the entire room, was struck speechless at Midna's reveal and her nonchalance—excluding Link, who rolled his eyes, and Taque, who, having gotten to know Midna a bit on the journey here, just sighed. The silence lengthened._

_Nero stood so suddenly that his chair flipped onto its back. His sword was in hand. Noct was only a beat behind. Ralon bobbed in annoyance, unable to do anything to help in the battle that he was sure was coming. The guards kept their positions, ready for anything their supposed traitor-ruler might throw at them._

_Zelda was motionless. Her first instinct was to take hold of her magic and prepare to fight, but she did not. Her mind was lucid, her thoughts clear. Something wasn't right—or, more accurately, it felt like something was right that should not be. Link and Taque had checked out. She caught the Hero's eye. He stood before Midna, fangs bared in a snarl that wavered only on meeting Zelda's gaze. Taque stood beyond him, guarding Midna's back. Why would they be protecting Minda, after her betrayals? _

_Slowly, the princess nodded to Link. He calmed._

_"Halt." She spoke softly, but with the authority of the royal and leader that she was. All in the room obeyed, but none lowered their weapons. Zelda looked to Midna. Her counterpart's ruby eyes were serious for once and they did not show any of the cruel humor or malice she had last seen in them. _

_They looked like the eyes of the friend she had trusted so well._

_"I think," Zelda said, "that you have a lot of explaining to do… Midna."_

* * *

><p>Things hadn't gone too badly from there, in Midna's opinion. She had told them all what had happened, with Link and Taque supporting her story where they could, then Zelda had examined her mind and found her words indisputably true. Zelda had been surprised and ashamed that no one had guessed, but then there had been no way to. The guards had been dismissed and a brief reunion had followed with hugs and apologies all around for the most part—communication with Ralon and Link was a little difficult. They mourned the loss of the Master Sword but celebrated their friend's return and began strategizing. A week passed and still they sat in stalemate—there simply were no practicable ideas.<p>

Link turned, brushing Midna with his tail. _"Standing around here all day won't do either of us any good,"_ he said, jogging forward a couple feet. He turned back to her, waiting. _"Let's see what the others are up to. Maybe they've thought of something,"_ he commented hopefully.

Midna nodded, gave one last glance to the Twilight, and followed Link into Castle Lathel.

**Author's Note: Here it is, finally. I am really sorry for how long I've been away. Some of it was school- last year and this year- and some of it was me being lazy/uninspired. I probably will not be able to update as frequently as I have in the past- a chapter every 2-ish weeks- due to my starting Junior year (doesn't seem like much but it's a big step up work-wise from sophomore year) but I will not be gone for 4-6 months again if I can help it. If it been a long time since I've updated, send me a PM. I check my e-mail fairly often so I will see it- this is how I've come back this and last time (last time, thanks to, I belive, _Phantom Hunter;_ this time thank _Shadow Commando_).**

**So it's up far later than intended but I think it turned out well enough… The really hard part comes next chapter as I try to figure out how to introduce the plotline… Anywho, I'll also give an explanation to Link and Ralon's modes and methods communication in Chapter 2.**

**I know someone will ask: why didn't Midna and co. teleport? ... They fought an army of Twili, each other, and the Dark Lord. They were tired. Give them a break.**

**Now that I've bored you all to death with overly wordy explanations: as always, please Review and thanks for reading. (Thanks to everyone patient enough to put up with the wait, too.)**

**—TG**


	2. State of Affairs

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Legend of Zelda. *dun, dun, dun* Really unexpected plot twist.**

**_Chapter 2: State of Affairs_**

Link and Midna walked out into the courtyard, having asked around about their friends' whereabouts. They found Kiris and Noct fighting a mock duel as Taque observed. The young sergeant, along with Nero and occasionally Ralon—though him only verbally—had started giving the Lord Lathel and Noct sword lessons to provide them the experience they very badly needed; both had fought at the Palace and acquitted themselves well therein, but they lacked the skill and discipline of their friends.

_"Hello, Taque,"_ Link called out mentally.

Taque jumped at Link's unexpected greeting, whirling around to face the Hero and Twilight Princess. On seeing them, he put a hand to his heart and let out a long breath. "O-oh. Link, Pr-princess. You, uh, you startled me."

"Don't we always?" Midna sighed wearily, shaking her head. Taque could be downright ridiculous.

Link bumped his shoulder against her leg in reprimand as Taque muttered an incomprehensible apology. _"He's anxious enough as it is; don't make it worse,"_ he told her, opening a private connection.

She acknowledged him guiltily. "No, _I'm_ sorry. Just been a rough few weeks, as you well know."

The young lord gave a single, curt nod. No one needed to remind him how badly the month had gone. His brother was dead because of the events that had taken place a mere two-and-a-half weeks ago. What was more, Anduvar's corpse was quite likely rotting unattended somewhere in the Palace of Twilight—his remains had not been sent home before he and the others had made their escape.

Midna wished she could bang her head against a wall as Taque's demeanor darkened. She scolded herself, _"Can't do anything right, can you, you idiot?"_

Link winced and gave a quiet groan, knowing Midna hadn't intended that the way it had sounded—doubtless Taque knew it, too, but he was unable to stop his mind from traveling those dark roads. _"Erm… Anyway… How's training going? Noct certainly seems to have gotten better. How about yourself?"_

"K-Kiris says I am improving st-steadily, but I tend to d-disagree; my sk-skills with a blade are, uh, me-mediocre at best."

"You shouldn't sell yourself short. Link and I wouldn't have made it here without you… There wouldn't be a 'here' without you, actually," she told him with a grin, hoping to get his spirits up.

He looked down, uncomfortable, embarrassed. He mumbled, "If you say so, princess."

_"She does and so do I."_

Taque ducked his head and rubbed the back of his neck. "I, uh… I… well…"

Midna was about to comment on having had her fill of 'the mushy stuff'—not that she had a very large capacity for it—when a sharp crack cut her off. The trio looked up. Noct had broken one of his training daggers while trying to deliver a particularly vicious strike to Kiris.

"Damn it!" the Twili cursed loudly. He threw down both the useless hilt and the unbroken blade in frustration, continuing to curse quietly to himself. He slowly regained his composure and quickly regretted having lost it. "I'm sorry, Kiris…"

"Don't worry about it, Noct," she told him kindly. "Why don't you take a short break? Meet me here after lunch, okay?" Kiris paused. "And when I say 'break', I mean it," she said sternly. "Take a nap, read a book, but, for the love of the Goddesses, relax a bit. You've been working too hard."

"Right," he answered. He moved to leave and noticed Link and Midna, remembered Taque had been observing. His expression shifted from tired anger to shame. He turned on his heel and walked swiftly away in the other direction. Link, Midna, and Taque exchanged worried looks.

Kiris sighed once he was gone, then stooped down to gather the pieces of the shattered dagger. The Hero took a few steps forward and carefully grabbed the still intact blade with his teeth. Kiris inclined her head in silent thanks and—after wiping it off—slipped the dagger into her belt to return to Noct later. The remains of the other she tossed into a barrel kept for just such occasions.

Looking after where Noct had gone, Kiris sighed again. "Third one this week," she explained sadly.

"That bad?" Midna asked.

Taque gave a somber affirmative. "He's angry."

"That was apparent," she responded dryly.

_"He hasn't forgiven himself, has he?"_ Link asked through Midna—Kiris was not a mage and thus he could not speak directly to her.

"No," the sergeant said.

"The b-better question is if he e-ever will," Taque put in quietly.

Link cocked his head quizzically.

"Violence and warfare may be uncommon in the Light Realm, but compared to the Twilight? Might as well happen every day. Here they're almost unheard of outside of historical texts and the rare skirmish with a marauding monster," Midna informed him. "For all that we have trained guards, most have never engaged in real combat and then never against another Twili… Noct wasn't prepared for what happened."

"I don't think anyone could have been," Kiris said, thinking of the bloody slaughter that she had once asked Taque to describe. Even with his halting, uncertain words and his stutter, the picture painted for her had been as vivid as it was horrifying.

"Hu-Human or Twili," Taque agreed, remembering the looks on the faces of the Hylian servants and soldiers as they gazed upon the dead and dying, unable to lift a finger to help either friend or foe.

Kiris turned to the Twilight Princess and Link. For all that she was a sergeant and better with a sword than the average Twili, she had only been in live combat a handful of times and then only against monsters. "How do you do it?" she asked them, tone somewhere between awe and disgust. "I can understand fighting beasts—it's the only reason, other than tradition, that we keep up our standing armies and militias—but fighting people? Friends? How do you handle it?"

She had intended to ask this of Taque, shortly after she'd questioned him about the battle. However, that was before she'd caught him napping in the courtyard. Kiris had been about to wake him up and lecture him—he was supposed to be practicing—when she'd noticed he was covered with sweat, his eyes moving feverishly behind his lids. Concerned, she'd been about to shake his arm when he'd jerked awake with a gasp, begging that the Goddesses forgive him. That had been a more than adequate explanation on Taque's part.

Link gave an uncertain grumble. The first time he had fought Twili they'd been transformed into Shadow Beasts and—having never knowingly met one before—he hadn't thought of those particular Twili as being 'human', then or since; the past was the past as far as Link was concerned and there was no use dwelling on it. Regrettable though the events may have been, he could not change them. Afterwards he had never killed another of Midna's people and he had never fought a human, thus he had no basis to answer the question.

Midna considered it for a long moment. "Honestly… you don't. You do your best not to think about it, hope nothing happens to make you remember what you've done. You just try to forget." She smirked bitterly. "Not an easy thing when everyone's hailing you as a hero for what is—to you, at least—the mass murder of your people." She added silently to herself, _"And the best part? There's only more to come…"_

"But… it seems so… wrong to sweep them under the rug like that," Kiris argued. "You can't just forget the fact that they're dead because of you, regardless of what they were doing. They had friends, family. They were people, too." She stopped and blushed deeply, bowed as she realized whom she was addressing. "Your Majesty, I—"

"It's that or lose it," the Twilight Princess told her, waving off the belated show of formality. "And stop that; there's no use for it any more. I'm not 'Your Majesty' here. Only Midna. I wish all of you would get that through your thick skulls," she said, glaring at Kiris and Taque, thinking of Noct, Nero, and Ralon, and taking full advantage of the opportunity to change the subject.

"We will t-try… Your Majesty." Taque gave a small smile.

The others were surprised at the rare joke from the young lord but soon found themselves laughing whole-heartedly—Link in that odd growling bark—at their old joke, new to the more recent companions.

Moments like these they took and held fast to, more so than even their conviction to stop Ganondorf. Scarce were the times when they were partially able to forget their troubles, scarcer when they could completely. So they treasured these instances as nothing else.

_"Well,"_ Link said to Midna after a time, reluctant to let this end, _"we should go see what Zelda's up to."_

_"What? Because if she found some miraculous way to defeat Ganondorf she'd keep it to herself?"_ Midna asked him sarcastically. Aloud, however, she voiced his comment, adding, "Do either of you know where we can find her?"

"The T-tactics Chamber, I b-believe," Taque said, meaning the room in which he, Midna and Link had first been reunited with their friends. "If I'm n-not mistaken, N-Nero should b-be th-there, too."

"Nero, huh?" Well, those two certainly have been spending a lot of time together and without a chaperone to boot," Midna said, a mischievous glint in her eye. "How improper."

Taque flushed, going a soft shade of lavender. "R-Ralon is l-likely w-with them."

"As if the intangible spirit will be able to stop them. C'mon, Link, let's go check up on them." Midna waved good-bye to Kiris and Taque and started moving away, the Hero close at her heels.

"W-wait," Taque called after them, following after them. "The c-castle is r-rather large and can be con-confusing, m-maybe I should escort y-you."

Kiris caught him by the back of the jerkin. "Nice try, my lord. Noct may have the rest of the morning off, but you don't. You need the practice. Now, run through drill forty-three and remember to keep your sword up."

Taque hung his head in defeat and did as he was told.

Link and Midna glanced back and shared a grin.

* * *

><p>Pushing the door open as quietly as she could, Midna saw Zelda and Nero pouring over a map of the Twilight. Ralon floated nearby, white flame flickering as he concentrated. Midna considered sneaking up on them, wondering if she could startle them as she often—unintentionally for the most part—did Taque. Her plans were ruined as Zelda noticed and greeted them, calling the Twilight Princess and Link to the others' attention as well.<p>

Nero stood, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty." Ralon did much the same in his spiritual plane.

Midna grimaced. Gesturing for them to be at ease, she answered, "Hey, guys. Thought of anything yet?"

Zelda shook her head. "We have discovered no revolutionary strategy since you asked yesterday, Midna, and, to be quite honest, I do not believe that we ever will," she said, uncharacteristically pessimistic. "It will take nothing short of a miracle to beat the Dark Lord in the battles to come."

Link padded over to the table and put his forepaws on the edge, looking over the map. It showed a rough representation of the forces at Ganondorf's disposal—not including any he may have called in from other regions of the realm—as compared to theirs. They were outnumbered a good three-to-one. The Hero grunted and pushed off the table, landing heavily. He tended to agree with Zelda's analysis. Nevertheless, his reply was: _"We've done miracles before. We can do miracles again."_ Midna repeated his words verbally for Nero and Ralon's benefit.

In turn, through Zelda, Ralon said, _"Not with odds like these, my lad."_

"I'd be willing to argue that point," Midna remarked, reminiscing about the various situations she and Link—and often enough Zelda—had gotten themselves into and out of. That said, they had never before had the prospect of going up against an army, a piece of the Triforce, and a Relic all at once. As an afterthought, she continued, "… to a degree."

The princess smiled sadly at her friends. "I know that you two are trying to cheer us up and I appreciate it," she told them sincerely, "however, we face a very real, very powerful threat in Ganondorf the Elder. We cannot afford to underestimate his power."

"I'm quite aware of that, Zelda," Midna returned, an unintended and icy edge creeping into her voice. She knew what he was capable of, the lengths and extremes he could—and would—go to in order to achieve his goals.

Link growled deep in his throat at the memories. Zelda frowned, her eyes downcast with shame.

_"Her Highness didn't—"_ Ralon began to Midna directly—he, like Link, could speak to mages without assistance.

"I know," the Twilight Princess interrupted. She sighed. "I'm sorry… Heh. Looks like I'm not the only one who can't say one word without dredging up something unpleasant from the past."

Link's lip curled, wrinkling his jowls in an expression of cynical amusement. _"Wouldn't be a problem if there weren't so many 'unpleasant things.'"_

The others agreed with silent nods.

Zelda turned her eyes back to her counterpart. "Midna, are you absolutely sure that there is nothing here that may help us?"

Midna briefly thought the question over—Zelda had asked this several times before. The princess—always believing in the eternal Balance the Goddesses maintained—thought that because such powerful items as the Relics and the Fused Shadows were sealed in the Light Realm, similar items must likewise be locked away within the Twilight. Midna had argued that, as the Twili were originally rebels against the Goddesses, that was highly unlikely—they had taken care to keep the Grimoire out of the Twilian hands, in any case and for all the good it did them. Still, her belief persisted.

"I'm sure."

Nero stirred. Calm, quiet, collected, the Captain of the Guard was not very big on words. He preferred to keep his thoughts to himself and let his actions show his views. However, on those occasions where he did see fit to speak, it was wise to heed his words. "What of the Essences, Your Majesty?"

The Twilight Princess shook her head skeptically. "Those're just fairy tales, Nero."

"As was the Damned King," Nero responded. "As were the Relics and the Sacred Beast."

_"Essences?"_ Link asked, giving life to the obvious question hanging in the air between the Twili and the Hylians.

Nero turned to Midna. She signaled him to tell the tale; it was his idea.

"Some believe that the Twilight did not exist as an original world, as did the Light and Dark Realms," Nero explained, quiet, serious. "They believe that the Goddesses created it later, after Ganondorf and the Interlopers sewed destruction across Hyrule—a place to keep those not bad enough to doom to the Eternal Darkness. To do this," he informed them, the far off look of one recalling a timeless legend passed on for generations beyond count in his eyes, "they took the purest Light and the most corrupt Dark from those worlds that they had already crafted and combined them to make Shadow.

"However, not all of these two elements was used up. So, to ensure that the Balance between them always remained, the Goddesses sealed these substances, these Essences of Light and Darkness, away in the Twilight so that they might draw off any excess of one or replenish the lack of another." Nero broke off, realizing how much he had said, noticing the eyes glued on him. He shrugged uncomfortably. "At least, that is the story as has been passed down from our ancestors in legend."

_"Meaning you no offense, but, while it makes for a fine tale, it sounds like a bunch of doggerel to me, lad,"_ Ralon said; the captain was the most practical-minded and though he might accept some of the old stories as true—had no choice, really, given the present company—he needed more proof.

Nero shrugged once more, noncommittal.

"We should not be so quick to dismiss this theory," Zelda proclaimed.

"… because it's the only one we have," Midna finished for her, muttering. She didn't doubt Nero exactly, it was more that the myth was so… well, so much a myth. It was so ingrained into her head as an old folk tale that it was hard to give it credence—that was why it hadn't occurred to her in the first place.

Link growled a soft rebuke at her. She responded with a gesture that said, 'Maybe. But it's true.'

"And so we have all the more time to dedicate to its investigation," the princess said, smiling, knowing the younger woman's dislike for book-work. "Does the legend give any clue about where the Essences might be found?"

"Not that I'm aware," Midna said. "Nero?"

He shook his head. "Don't think so."

_"Then I suppose we'll just hafta figure it out for ourselves," _Ralon said, resigned and annoyed. He was tired of this realm and of being a spirit—he couldn't even turn the pages of the various tomes or open the scrolls they'd been looking through for answers. Here was yet another task that he would be useless for.

_"Well, if nothing else,"_ Link commented, understanding Ralon's discontent because he felt it too—to a lesser extent,_ "we have something to go on."_

_"And I'm sure I'll be all the more useful when we're onto something and searching for this weapon you all expect to find,"_ Ralon thought to himself.

The companions—those that were able—set about their task with mixed enthusiasm; Zelda at one end of the spectrum, Midna, who had thought herself finished with this kind of thing after the incident with the Sols, at the other.

**Author's Note: Here we are. That didn't take too long, I don't think. I hope you liked it. A quick question: I realized I use the titles thing a lot (Midna/Zelda/(sometimes)Link being annoyed at the use of Your Highness, Hero or whatever). I think I may be overusing it but, at the same time, I think of it as their sort of inside joke. Any thoughts?**

**Next, Ralon and Link. Here's the basic breakdown for them: Both of them, as explained, can speak directly to mages. The mages (Zelda, Midna, and Taque) can see Ralon as he really is. Link can see and hear Ralon because of his senses. I break the rules of the original game with Ralon a bit—he can see and hear them all. Also, if I don't specify that they said something mentally with someone else saying it aloud, please just assume that someone did (I don't want to be repetitive with 'Ralon said this through Zelda', 'Link said that through Midna') unless I specify that it was their private thoughts or that they said it only to one of the mages. … That's probably kinda confusing, so if you have any questions, feel free to ask.**

**Thanks to everyone who has continued to read this for sticking with me, and thanks especially, as always, to my Reviewers.**

**—TG**


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